TO: All Seven Sovereign Emperors of Reya
FROM: Autonomous Moderator of [REDACTED]
SUBJECT: Theoretically Impossible Breach of [REDACTED]
WARNING
A Level 1 security breach has been confirmed at the [LH] Tomb.
The internal sanctum has been compromised by an unidentified plunderer. Preliminary scans confirm the successful theft of the following assets:
One (1) Spiritual Pistol
One (1) Spare Coregnet
The [LH] Tomb is situated within the sovereign territory of the Human Emperor. Per the Mandate of Reya, an immediate investigation is hereby ordered.
MANDATORY SUMMONS
A security summit regarding the stability and well-being of Reya will convene in four days.
The exact coordinates will be transmitted through an encrypted spiritual frequency whose omega signature is known only to the Seven Emperors. Ensure that no unauthorized individual gains access to the transmission.
Attendance is non-negotiable.
Any Emperor who fails to appear will be immediately stripped of governing authority. This incident has been classified as a direct threat to Reya's current era of peace.
The Human Emperor is expected to provide a full explanation regarding:
the security failure,
the identity of the plunderer,
and the current location of the displaced relics.
Long live Reya.
———
Meanwhile…
MAN, HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WALK?!
I've been walking for nearly two hours now. Every single cell in my body was screaming in a different language of pain. There wasn't a part of me that didn't throb. At least the ground was even, which made it easier to roll the artifact—and hey, I had a gun! I still didn't understand where the ammo was or if the thing even worked, but if it didn't, I might actually die from emotional damage alone.
I kept walking.
And walking.
I was out of water, out of energy, and out of sanity.
Yea…those machines…. deserved, totally.
Soon, my vision started to blur. I couldn't see straight, and my head felt like it was being squeezed in a hydraulic press. My heart was thumping against my ribs like a trapped bird.
I couldn't walk anymore.
But I couldn't stop. I dropped to all fours and kept moving. I didn't know what time it was; I couldn't even bring myself to look at my wrist. The only thought left in my brain was a single, repeating command: Get out of the White Zone.
I rolled the artifact with my hands until they went numb. When my hands gave out, I pushed it with my head. My knees were bleeding, and my palms weren't far behind. I don't remember much of the final stretch, only that I refused to stop.
Finally, I saw Carl. He was a blurry silhouette standing at the edge of the barrier with his hands behind his back, looking as calm as ever. Scattered around him were the bodies of several predators—all of them missing their heads. He must have blasted them into the afterlife.
I let out a laugh like a total madman and crawled toward him. I didn't see Joey or Jack anywhere. I just hoped they were safe. With one final, bloody push, I shoved the artifact across the barrier line and tumbled out after it.
The moment I cleared the White Zone, the world went black. I vaguely remember Carl walking toward me.
Am I getting a princess carry? I wondered. That's kind of embarrassing...
He picked me up....like a sack of potatoes?!?!
"Show me some respect, you carrot sucker…" I somehow muttered.Guess I still had some strength left after all.
Carl glanced at me and said,
"Looks like the artifact's outer input structure got damaged while you were rolling it," Carl said casually.
"You'll probably need to go back and retrieve another one."
My lifeless body instantly jerked.
"Don't worry, I'm joking," he added, actually chuckling.
"Mothe—" and then I fainted for real.
The next thing I knew, Carl was splashing water on my face.
"Sh— Rosie! Rosie! You bi—!" I shouted, still half-asleep and swinging at the air.
Carl, Joey, and Jack all stared at me with varying degrees of confusion.
"…So," Carl said slowly, "who exactly is Rosie?"
"She's… my imaginary friend," I replied instantly.
"…You curse at your imaginary friend too?"
"No. It's, uh… a friendly greeting."
"…You wouldn't understand. It's between us."
Carl stared at me for a few seconds before giving up entirely.
"…So where are we now?" I asked.
"We're only about two kilometers away from Dunford." Carl Said.
"Wh—"
"You've been asleep for nearly two and a half days."
"…WHAT?!"
"Mr. Darcy! Thank you so much for saving our lives!" Joey suddenly wailed, sobbing like a baby.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, completely lost.
"You fought the Red Zone predators all by yourself for us!" Jack added, also sobbing.
"I... what?"
"Mr. Carl said we fainted after the roar of a Black Timmy," Joey explained through his tears.
"Timmy wh—?"
"And when he woke up, he said you insisted on going into the White Zone alone so he could stay and guard us. You said we'd be safer that way."
"We're so sorry for being weak!" they both pledged, looking at me with eyes full of pure hero-worship. "We promise we'll get stronger and pay you back for this debt!"
I saved them? I looked at Carl. His expression was back to the usual "Stoic MF" mode, giving away absolutely nothing.
"…I saved you two?"
"Yes!! Mr. Darcy!!" they both shouted.
"I…"
"I saved…"
"I..saved you all?"
"…I SAVED YOU ALL!"
"Ahem. I mean, as an ADVANCED ADVENTURER, it was simply the logical thing to do."
I said that while:
barely awake,
covered in bandages,
with messy hair,
and barely functioning legs.
I stood up (on jelly legs) and struck a pose.
I didn't know why Carl gave me the credit, but I was going to accept it with open arms.
"Alright, let's get back to town! Ouch—eekk—it hurts... okay, let's slowly get back to town!"